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The Bélier Family (2014)

A nice little film that I enjoyed watching. I liked the lead actress, she was able to convey many believable emotions while still feeling like a real person. I liked the story too, sure it's simple but these growing up and leaving the nest stories, happen to most everyone....The story is part of life and the film showed the family dynamics quite well, which then made the dilemma of the daughter's decision to fly away from them, all that much more poignant. I liked how her song in Paris reflected her life. It was like she was singing directly to her parents.

The French family farm in a rural town made a good setting for the Belier family. I thought the film was made well.

Foreign language comedies are usually hard for me 'to get', as reading the jokes isn't the same as if I understood the language. I did find some of it funny, and there were other parts that I instinctively knew were funny, but some of the humor was lost in translation. I have to say I wasn't a fan of naming the black calf Obama joke. Maybe that worked in France?....The singing was real good and I liked the entire Belier family, though I think mom had been sipping a little too much wine.



Question for anyone who knows: which of the deaf characters were really deaf actors in real life? I know Cosmic mentioned something about it.
The actor who played the brother, and the actor who played the other deaf character (the one who wasn't part of the family) have hearing disabilities.



Keep your station clean - OR I WILL KILL YOU
3/15 Thelma (2017)

Director: Joachim Trier

Another wonderful film. This is one of those pictures that defies the usual tropes in storytelling and really stretches its muscles and uses its flexibility to deliver an interesting story. I really appreciated how the film had two distinctive genres blended together so seamlessly it's almost mind-boggling; one being a personal story about character relationships and mental stability, another one being a supernatural thriller with religious undertones. Only a great director can make such an outlandish atmosphere look so easy, and for that I give all my props to Trier. I really liked the protagonist, she's a character whose mental struggles and physical restraint are very easy to relate too, and her blossoming relationship evolved very well; the chemistry between both women felt very real, and very grounded. I also loved the sound in the film, or lack thereof, there are many drawn-out sequences which really got under my skin, the combination of strange visuals, intense flashes, and lack of sound really made this a memorable experience. By the time the film started to reach the climax, I was extremely gripped. Top it all off with an subtle, yet explosive conclusion, and we got ourselves a winner!

SCORE - 86/100



“I was cured, all right!”

The Sword of Doom

I liked this. I usually like older Japanese cinema, especially when it's a historical theme. This was set in 1860 during the Samurai period and was like a window back in time. I might not have a time machine but by the magic of film I can see and experience the past. That's why I dig old movies btw.

What a powerful image that is of the actor with the intense stare. His reed hat and the photo reminds me of an old Clint Eastwood film. I thought the actor was great at making a striking and foreboding character. I liked the other actors too, especially the lady who took care of the girl, she was interesting in her manners.

The film is visually impressive with many realistic looking sets, villages, buildings, countryside, really beautifully done. I swear the cameraman did have a time machine as it looked so authentic.

No real complaints, I liked the sets, the story, the actors. I wasn't real big on the way the film ended but then I learned later that the author of the novel that this was based on, died before it could be finished, so the ending is an appropriate way to acknowledge that fact.

I'm not a fan of martial arts films, though I know it's big in Japan. Luckily the amount of sword fights were only a few minutes, and I liked the story itself. Oh it looked great too, as it was a restored Criterion print.
Glad you liked!



“I was cured, all right!”

Singing dialogues!

Unlike other musicals, this film does not distort time and space in the name of the show. In fact he uses and abuses natural and conventional dialogues in the face of situations to sing the story of the characters.

Needless to say, attention to detail is jaw-dropping, if there is any doubt as to the talent of conducting a musical scene by Jacques Demy, Umbrellas will definitely answer that question! The colors of the scenery, the costumes, and the beautiful Catherine Deneuve (Oh, how beautiful she looks) all contribute to a stunning beauty.

The dialogues in French being sung, which sometimes seems spoken is mesmerizing.

Despite being romantic (very romantic) the film sometimes gives itself to the basic structure of impossible love, due to a fact greater than the couple, as in many times we have already seen, the war.

Spontaneous, sad and beautiful even if in the middle of all this, there's a script full of cliches, even for the 60's, the film have lots of charm.

★★★★



“I was cured, all right!”
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg:
Roland tells Genevieve's mother he once loved a woman named "Lola." "Lola" is a Demy film from 1961, in which Marc Michel plays the same character of Roland.
I need to watch Lola, right now!



I wrote down some preliminary thoughts on Entre Nos, and was starting to put everything together when both of my room mates came home. Now I can't seem to concentrate any more, and I totally blame them haha. I would've had something written before I had to head off in half an hour, but that doesn't look like it's going to be the case now.

Other than Pan's Labyrinth, which I've been saving for later in order to spread out my re-watches, the remaining films I have left are all quite long. I didn't intentionally leave them for last, it's just harder to make time for them during the work week unless I want to watch them in two parts.





Entre Nos
(2009)
Directed By: Paola Mendoza, Gloria LaMorte
Starring: Paola Mendoza, Sebastian Villada, Laura Montana Cortez

Entre Nos is a story about sacrifices and not giving up hope. It tells the story of Mariana and her two children, who follow her husband Antonio from country to country in his pursuit of work. However shortly after arriving in the United States, Antonio abandons the family, leaving them in extreme poverty. The majority of the film is composed of their struggle to make ends meet, with their small victories being dwarfed by nearly constant set-backs. There's no stigmatization of the family for needing the assistance of others, which implies that we shouldn't be afraid to ask for help when we need it.

Throughout her hardship, Mariana is determined to show a brave face for her children, and not allow them to see how terrified and uncertain she really feels. The best moments of the film are when she quietly breaks down in the rare moments she has to herself. Her son Gabriel's longing for a normal childhood is also handled really well. He doesn't get to play or go to school because he has to care for his little sister and help earn enough money to keep a roof over their heads. That's not the kind of responsibility a young child should have to manage, yet it's sadly a reality for far too many.

I'm not sure if there was a problem with the copy I watched, but the dialogue was usually quite low, but then there'd suddenly be almost deafeningly loud music that would completely draw my attention away from what was happening. If this was intentional I think it's a poor choice, since the film otherwise appears quite natural, without wandering into documentary territory. I'll have to see if anyone else experiences the same thing to be certain though. Despite presenting some social commentary on the perception of both the immigrant and homeless populations of the US, Entre Nos is a rather light film and I appreciate that it never become preachy. It does feel quite a bit longer than its 81 minute runtime would suggest, but it's still an enjoyable watch.


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movies can be okay...
It seems I'm so far the only one who really didn't like Entre Nos. @CosmicRunaway I had the same problem you had with the audio, throughout the latter half of the film, so it's definitely not just you.
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"A film has to be a dialogue, not a monologue — a dialogue to provoke in the viewer his own thoughts, his own feelings. And if a film is a dialogue, then it’s a good film; if it’s not a dialogue, it’s a bad film."
- Michael "Gloomy Old Fart" Haneke



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Found a link for The Leopard only to find out that it was only the first half, having watched it all the way through. I was TOO invested and didn't want to stop.

The good news is that while at my library today I actually found it, where previous online attempts claimed it wasn't.
SO, since the subs weren't all that great in the link, I'll most likely watch both DVDs that come with the rental.
Quite the epic film so far.



It seems I'm so far the only one who really didn't like Entre Nos.
Can’t remember a single thing from this movie, but, apparently in 2011, I rated it 5 stars on Netflix.

Found a link for The Leopard only to find out that it was only the first half, having watched it all the way through.
Never been able to finish this movie.
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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Never been able to finish this movie.
well, presently, neither have I

It is a little off putting having Lancaster's voice dubbed in Italian, but I do enjoy the first half that I watched.



It is a little off putting having Lancaster's voice dubbed in Italian, but I do enjoy the first half that I watched.
No amount of money will make me watch a dubbed movie.



No amount of money will make me watch a dubbed movie.
The Leopard is dubbed either way you watch. In Italian Burt Lancaster is dubbed and in English the Italian actors are dubbed. Same situation with La Strada and Anthony Quinn.



This weekend marks one month since we started!

If you haven't seen 4 of the nominations by now, you don't have to panic yet since there's still plenty of time. But since this is a fairly large HOF, I would recommend not procrastinating too much.